Sheet feed control mechanism



Feb. 16, 1937. JLF, HORST 2,070,903

SHEET FEED CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Feb. 26, 1934 INVENTOR Jay 5 f/ora/ AT TORNE Y Patented Feb. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,070,903SHEET FEED CONTROL MECHANISM Jay F. Horst, Seattle, Wash. ApplicationFebruary 26, 1934, Serial No. 712,950

13 Claims. (01. zit- 27) This invention relates to sheet-feed controlmechanism, being particularly adapted for use with printing presses andmore especially to that class of press conventionally known as the auto-5 matic vertical.

As regards such character of printing press and the application of thepresent invention thereto, the sheets constituting the work are stackedin a pile upon a feed table and individ- 10 ually withdrawn successivelyfrom the top down by means of suction shoes reciprocating in arelatively horizontal plane to and from the forward end of the pile. Theinvention is directed to structure for engaging the rear end of the 15pile to maintain the individual sheets in proper disposition in assuringconstant relativity as regards the forward end of the individual sheetsto the shoes.

It is a particular object of my invention to provide an especiallyefficient structure for the purpose described and one capable of beingreadily adjusted to position the same for use with substantiallyunlimited sheet sizes.v

A further object is the provision of an improved 05 design constructedsuch that one unit, medially disposed as regards the transversedimension of the sheet pile, operates to replace the multiple sheetguides as heretofore used at the rear of the pile.

30 It is a still further object, the invention including a spring forgripping the uppermost sheet in the pile to yieldably hold the same, toprovide an especially advantageous regulating structure for setting thespring to obtain the 35 proper tension on the work.

The foregoing, together with further objects and advantages moreparticularly relating to an improved design of the several parts toassure uninterrupted withdrawal of the successive 40 sheets continuouslythrough the entire sheet pile,

will become apparent in the course of the following detailed descriptionand claims, the invention consisting in the novel construction,adaptation, and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing Figure l is a side elevation indicating the invention inits now preferred form applied to the feed table and related parts of aconventional automatic press of the vertical type.

Fig. 2 is a similar view to an enlarged scale indicating the position ofthe parts as the same approach the bottom of the sheet pile, the cross-55 rod support for the control mechanism and a portion of the adjustingbar being shown in longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a top planview of the invention in its operative disposition to the sheet pile;and

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on 5 the line 44 of Fig.2.

Particularly referring to the sheet feeding structure of the press withreference to the drawing, the same comprises a feed table 5 which,through a trainof gears including a rack or racks 6, is supported formovement in a vertical plane automatically in response to withdrawal ofthe successive sheets from the pile I carried on the table. Said pile islocated at its forward end by front guides (not shown) and the sheetsare Withdrawn by separator shoes 8 which operate to develop a suctiongrip at or adjacent the forward end of the sheet, the shoes beingsupported by a separator frame 9 which in turn is supported forreciprocatory motion in a horizontal arc by means of feed arms l 0.Co-acting with said separator shoes in preventing adherance of the uppersheets in the pile with one another are a plurality of blower nozzles Il which project pressure jets of air horizontally of the table inproximity of the upper level of the pile. In maintaining the separatesheets of the pile against blower and vibration influenced disalignment,feed tables of the character described further provide what is generallytermed feeder pile rear guides and rear guide springs supported at therear end of the table from a stationary cross-bar I2.

Relative to such latter structure which forms the subject matter of myinvention, a conventional form of bracket such as 20 is employed whichis located over the cross-bar on the substantial longitudinal centerline of the sheet pile. Clamped by said bracket between opposing hookterminals of the same and the cross-bar, I provide an adjustment bar 2|apertured in spaced dispositions of its length to provide plural boltholes 23, which bolt holes act in conjunction with spaced-apart threadedopenings 24 of a reach member 25 to receive a bolt 26. Thread receptionof the head end of the bolt in a selected 5 aperture 24, co-activelywith a spacing collar 21 surrounding the bolt between the reach and barmembers, maintains the related parts rigidly with respect to oneanother. A wing nut 28 acts to clamp the bar over the spacing collar.

In offset disposition below the bolt-receiving end, said reach memberextends forwardly and at its outer end is bifurcated with the companionterminals 30 being turned up to provide horizontal bearings for thereception of rivets or the like 3| serving as fulcrums for arcuatelyconformed guide arms 32 arranged to depend from opposite sides of thereach member. Seats 33 notched in the lateral walls of the reach membernormally receive the guide arms and operate to limit thegravity-influenced swing of the arms, said seats being located tonormally position the arms such that tangential extensions of the arcterminals lie parallel or approximately so with the plane of the feedtable.

Below the reach member and secured thereto at its inner end by rivets34, the invention further provides a curved leaf spring, indicated at35, located medially of the guide arms and having its free end extendinglongitudinally beyond the reach member. A pin 36 threaded in the reachmember in advance of the fixed end of the spring operates to regulatethe tension of the spring, said pin being maintained in selectedtension-regulating dispositions by a coil spring 31 compressed betweenthe reach member and the wing head of the pin.

In the use of the device, the guide arms are located tolie eitherforwardly or to the rear of the cross-arm l2 according to the length ofthe sheets in the pile l, adjustment being afforded by the dispositionof the bar 2| in the bracket 20 and the selected location of the bolt26, with the curvature of the spring 35 accommodating extension of thereach member either forwardly or rearwardly of the connecting bolt, asmay be necessary. The table is elevated manually to engage the uppermostsheet of the pile with the suction shoes, and the spring 35 is regulatedaccording to the stock being run to provide proper tension upon thesheet. Respecting such spring tension, it is-necessary in affordingefiicient sheet feed from the table that the paper slide readily frombelow the spring as the sheet is engaged by the suction shoes but thespring tension must be sufiiciently strong to overcome any tendency ofthe sheet to become dislodged as a result of the air jet. Wheredesirable, ready adjustments may be made co-incident with the operationof the shoes.

As the sheets are removed successively from the pile, the feed tableelevates and as the surface of' the table engages the guide arms thelatter swing outwardly, the arcuate surface of the arms riding with aminimum of resistance over the table. A maximum surface bearing isafforded between the arms and the table, obviating admission of thelower sheets in the pile between the same. In every instance of which Iam aware, prior rear guide structures have been rectilineal in form withpoint contact where the toe of the same engages the table. A further andespecial advantage aiforded through the use of curvilinear guide arms isthe adaptability of the feed table to thedelivery of narrow sheets inthat the point of contact of the guide arms with the feed tableprogressively advances toward the fulcrum points of the arms.

The invention is believed clear from the foregoing. While disclosing mynow preferred embodiment it is my intention to confine the scope only asby the expressed limitations of thehere to annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. In sheet-feeding structure, in combination with a table adapted tosupport a pile of the sheets, means for delivering an air jet betweenthe upper sheets of the pile for separating the same, and means forwithdrawing the separated sheets successively, the table being arrangedfor vertical movement responsive to the successive withdrawal of thesheets to maintain the upper level of the pile on a constant plane,guide means for maintaining the individual sheets of the pile inalignment comprising a reach member supported to locate the outer end ofthe same in the vertical plane of the rear end of the pile, a springcarried by said reach member for yieldably engaging the uppermost sheetin the pile, means for regulating the tension of the spring, and a pairof guide arms suspended for lateral swinging movement from oppositesides of the. reach member to engage the rear face of the pile, saidswinging movement of the guide arms acting to accommodate tableelevation as the same rises directively of the plane of the top level ofthe pile responsive to the withdrawal of the sheets.

2. In sheet-feeding structure, in combination with a table adapted tosupport a pile of the sheets, means for delivering an air jet betweenthe upper sheets of the pile for separating the same, and means forfeeding the separated sheets successively from the table, the tablebeing arranged for vertical movement responsive to sheet feed formaintaining the upper level of the pile ona constant plane, guide meansfor maintaining the individual sheets of the pile in alignmentcomprising a reach member supported to locate the outer end of the samein the vertical plane of the rear end of the pile, a spring carried bysaid reach member for yieldably engaging the uppermost sheet in thepile, and a pair of arcuate guide arms curving downwardly and outwardlysuspended for lateral swinging movement from opposite sides of the reachmember to engage the rear face of the pile, said swinging movement ofthe arms serving to accommodate table elevation as the same risesdirectively of the plane of the top level of the pile responsive to thedelivery of the sheetsfrom the pile.

3. In sheet-feeding structure, in combination with an elevating tableadapted to support a pile of the sheets, and means for withdrawing theuppermost sheets successively, the table being ar- 4. In sheet-feedingstructure, in combination with an elevating table adapted to support apile of the sheets, and means for withdrawing the uppermost sheetssuccessively, thetable being arranged for vertical movement responsiveto successive withdrawal of the sheets for maintaining a constant pilelevel, a guide arm pivotally supported for lateral swinging movementabove the table, said guide arm being formed with an arcuate underneathsurface extending downwardly and outwardly from the pivotal point ofsuspension whereby the arcuate surface of the arm as distinguished fromthe free terminal of the same rides over the surface of the table inresponse to the elevation of the latter, said arcuate surface operatingsuch that the point of said arcuate surface which is afforded contactwith the table approaches the point of pivotal suspension of the armprogressively with the elevation of the table, and means for adjustingthe position of said guide arm longitudinally of the table for 7locating the same in abutting engagement to the rear face of the sheetpile.

5. In sheet-feeding structure, in combination with a table adapted tosupport a pile of the sheets, and means for withdrawing the sheetssuccessively, longitudinally adjustable guide means adapted to abut therear face of the pile for maintaining the individual rear edges invertical alignment, one with another, a spring supported to yieldablygrip the uppermost sheet in the pile, and means for regulating thetension of the spring.

6. In sheet-feeding structure, in combination with a table adapted tosupport a pile of the sheets, and means for withdrawing the uppermostsheets successively, a spring supported to yieldably grip the uppermostsheet in the pile, and means operative to said spring for regulating thetension of the same.

7. In sheet-feeding structure, in combination with a table adapted tosupport a pile of the sheets, and means for withdrawing the uppermostsheets successively, a pressure device operative to engage the uppermostsheet in the pile for yieldably gripping the same, and means forregulating the effective pressure of said device to the sheet.

8. In a feeder pile rear guide attachment for the sheet-feeding machineof a printing press of the character described, said machine including asupporting table for the sheets and a rod extending transversely abovethe rear end of the table, a longitudinally-extensible reach memberadapted for adjustable connection with the rod to extend longitudinallyof the table on the substantial medial center of the same, a leaf springfixed at its inner end to the underside of the reach member to projectbeyond the outer end of the same, means for regulating the tension ofsaid leaf spring, and a pair of curvilinear guide arms suspended fortransverse swinging movement from opposite sides of the reach member inproximity of the spring.

9. In a feeder pile rear guide attachment for the sheet-feeding machineof a printing press of the character described, said machine including asupporting table for the sheets and a rod extending transversely abovethe rear end of the table, a reach member adapted for adjustableconnection with the rod to extend longitudinally of the table intoproximity of the rear edge of the sheet pile, a spring supported at theouter end of the reach member to overlie the rear end of the pile, andmeans for regulating the tension of the spring.

10. In a feeder pile rear guide for a sheet-feeding machine of thecharacter described having a table upon which the sheets are supported,the table being arranged for elevating movement automatically inresponse to the removal of the successive sheets from the pile tomaintain a constant pile level, vertical devices acting to engage thesurface of the table and abutting the rear edge of the pile formaintaining the sheets of the pile in vertical alignment, said devicesbeing movable in a vertical plane to accommodate the elevation of thetable with the points of bearing engagement of the devices on the tablebeing maintained relatively constant as respects the table during theprogressive elevation of the table.

11. In feeder pile rear guide mechanism, the combination of supportingmeans, a bar member carried for longitudinal adjustment by saidsupporting means, areach arm carried for independent longitudinaladjustment by said bar member, and feeder pile rear guide structurecarried by the reach arm to engage the rear edge of the sheets in thework pile, said independent adjustments of the bar member and the reacharm acting to increase the range of adjustment of the rear guidestructure through the ability to dispose the latter at a pointconstituting the combined maximum adjustment of both said bar member andthe reach arm.

12. In feeder pile rear guide mechanism, the combination of supportingmeans, a reversible bar member carried for longitudinal adjustment bysaid supporting means, a reacharm carried for independent longitudinaladjustment by said bar member and also reversible as respects itsposition on the bar member, and feeder pile rear guide structure carriedby the reach arm to engage the rear edge of the sheets in the pile, saidadjustments of the bar member and the reach arm being multiplicative asrespects the possible location of the rear guide structure in that thepositioning of the latter combines the independent regulations of thetwo adjustable members.

13. Mechanism for use with sheet-feeding structure comprising thecombination of a support, guide means carried thereby to abut the rearface of a pile of the work sheets for resisting rearward movement of thesheets under feeding impetus, and a leaf member also carried by saidsupport formed to project beyond the guide means and contactually engagethe upper surface of the top sheet in the pile for compressing the uppersheets in the pile in obtaining a frictional grip to resist movement ofa plurality of sheets in a single feeding operation.

JAY F. HORST.

